‘‘Too many cooks…’’

December 2, 2017

From Radha in Jab Harry Met Sejal to Bura na mano bholi hai in FukreyReturns, singer Shahid Mallya tells Bhakti Mehta why a film can benefit from a single vision

“I am happy with the pleasing, mixed response my songs have received. You can’t always get milestone songs like Ikk kudi from Udta Punjab or Kukkad kamal da from Student Of The Year. I understand that. In movies like these, people go to watch either the director or the actor. Fukrey Returns is not like that. There are many aspects to the film and its songs are one of them. We just go in, do our job, sing the song from our hearts and leave the rest to fate,” reflects singer Shahid Mallya.

On his latest track, Mallya reveals, “It is interesting because I have sung Bura na mano bholi hai with a Haryanvi accent. It is a very simple, straightforward song but it also has a lot of tongue-twisters. This track is such that isme sur kam ho toh chalega lekin expressions zyada hone chahiye.”

The singer has collaborated with quite a few people for this new number. “This multiple collaboration idea is not the best one. We follow this approach a lot today but it makes a song lose its essence. If the film is directed by multiple directors, it will either turn out to be a masterpiece or a complete disaster. I believe that everyone has a different vision and to be in total sync and bring out one single product is very difficult. The director of a film should trust only one music director, tell them the entire story of the film and let them come up with tunes. Of course, the singers can be different, depending on the song, but there’s a limit to that too. Amid this confusion, no one really knows who the music director is or who the singer is because there are so many names attached to the music.”

While Mallya believes too many cooks spoil the broth, he does think it is essential to share a strong rapport with your peers. “It is necessary to have a bond when you are working so intricately with so many people on a film. That makes it easier to speak one’s mind as one doesn’t have to hold back. It allows the singers to voice their opinions without hesitation. If you don’t open up among your peers, the people who understand your music, you won’t be able to use your potential to the fullest. You will only waste your time saying, ‘Yes sir, no sir.’”

He shares some details about his next big project. “I have two songs in Happy Bhag Jayegi 2. There’s the title track and another number that I will be singing. I cannot talk about the mood of these songs right now but they have turned out beautifully. Sohail Sen is a very talented, young music composer and we share a great working relationship. He is definitely a musical star to watch out for.”

Mallya refuses to speak about his other future ventures, “This is the only project I can talk about right now. There are several others happening but I cannot discuss the details. I am working with musical geniuses like Amit Trivedi and Pritam, which is great. I don’t know which song will release first but I am hoping they all click with the audience.”